Docu-drama: Controversial Cobain film is coming to Chicago
“Kurt and Courtney,” the movie banned from this year’s Sundance Film Festival that became the event’s most talked-about title, is heading to Chicago next month.
Category: Music
Steve Poltz at the Uncommon Ground
Sitting on a stool – but looking as if he’d be happier hopping around – Steve Poltz accompanied himself on guitar and played homespun acoustic rock songs from his week-old solo album, “One Left Shoe.” He padded his two-hour set – which is brief by Poltz standards – covering cuts by TLC’s “Waterfalls,” Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me.” Poltz, who still is in the Rugburns, included some of his group’s material as well.
Deconstructed: Bush
Goldie and Bush’s Gavin Rossdale are an unlikely combination. But the trip-hop God is among a handful of artists who remix the band on Deconstructed. Phillip Steir’s ”Synapse” oozes breathy seduction, while Fabio Paris’ pulsating ”Personal Holloway” induces dancing, rather than moshing. It’s Goldie’s fussy ”Swallowed” that’s a clunker.
Rolling Stones at Soldier Field
Dismiss the ruminations about this being the Rolling Stones’ “401K” tour and faggadabout the Geritol jokes. The Stones may be the grandfathers of rock ‘n’ roll, but they also are consumate professionals who can still teach the youngsters a thing or two about how to put on a good stadium show.
Oasis made headlines this week
You’d think that having just released the fastest-selling album in British history might have mellowed Oasis’ infamously prickly leader, guitarist Noel Gallagher, just a little. But even though Be Here Now is setting records and debuted in the U.S. last week at No. 2, the elder Gallagher (brother Liam is the band’s lead singer) is as irascible as ever.
Daisy: Dog’s Eye View
Baring his soul with bold lyrics and plaintive vocals, singer-songwriter Peter Stuart has come up with a strong follow-up to his band’s debut. His protagonists suffer from heartache, but Stuart doesn’t wallow in misery. Like Matthew Sweet, he has a knack for marrying bittersweet words with pop melodies to create evocative vignettes. Grade: B+
Stone Roses alum finds right Seahorses lineup
It was a sad day for Anglophiles when John Squire left the Stone Roses. Without their lead guitarist and primary songwriter, the Roses withered away a few months after Squire quit last year. But he didn’t waste any time crying over what could have been. Instead, he put together the Seahorses, a tight rock ‘n’ roll outfit that made its Chicago debut Tuesday night at Metro.
`Great big rock band’: U2 steals own show this time
Though U2 has been making records for almost two decades, the musicians opted to concentrate on the new rather than indulge in nostalgia. But that’s not to say that they didn’t have fun with a few oldies. While their set list included nine cuts from their current “Pop” album, one of the evening’s highlights was the Edge’s campy solo turn at singing “Sweet Caroline,” karaoke style. The guitarist appeared to be having a great time, punching his fist in the air and encouraging fans to sing louder.
Dave Pirner of the Minneapolis-based Soul Asylum performs Wednesday night at Metro
The question after Soul Asylum’s gig Wednesday night at Metro wasn’t, “How were they?” but rather, “Why did they play there?” Longtime fans were treated to a solid, if unspectacular, 95-minute set from the formidable Minneapolis-based rock group. But it wasn’t that long ago that the band seemed destined for a brighter future and was sharing headlining status at outdoor festival shows.
Scratchie Records Showcase at Metro
For the first time Saturday night, James Iha and D’Arcy weren’t the center of attention. The Smashing Pumpkins musicians, acting as emcees, stood together at the mike, preparing to welcome the evening’s headliner at Metro. Before they could finish their introduction, however, the Frogs walked onstage, dressed in their typically flamboyant costumes.
R.O.A.R. only playfully meows — Iggy Pop
It was a surreal sight Saturday at the New World Music Theatre. By 4:30 p.m. – three hours after the Revelations of Alternative Rhythms (R.O.A.R.) Festival started – there were only 150 people inside the Tinley Park enormodome. This is a venue that seats 30,000 fans. On the plus side, there were no lines for the restrooms or concessions. But the event felt more like a backyard barbecue than a big-time rock show.
Q101’s Jamboree 97
If some of the teenage fans at Q101’s Jamboree 97 were a little distracted Sunday at the New World Music Theatre, it was understandable. Rather than basking in the sun at the first major outdoor concert of the summer, the kids huddled under blankets as if they were at a football game or, more often than not, shivered in their summer shorts and T-shirts. (The cruelest joke was that many had more clothes in their cars, but they weren’t allowed to leave the venue to get them.)
“Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis” by Paolo Hewitt
In Great Britain, Oasis isnt just any band–it is the band. To get a perspective of how popular they are in their homeland, check this out: The five-man group from Manchester performed two nights at Englands Knebworth Park to more than 250,000 people. It was the largest audience for any single band in Britain.
Offspring good but grating
There are few things as irritating as bands that slag other groups from the stage. At the Offspring’s show Tuesday night at the Aragon, vocalist Dexter Holland repeatedly slammed the Spice Girls and took a couple of cheap shots at Guns N’ Roses as well as the youthful trio Hanson.
Eyes, ears feast on U2: Show’s missteps forgivable
U2 started off its six-song encore with a mighty lemon drop – literally. Riding in the giant mirror ball, the musicians left more than a few fans wondering whether they might have a “Spinal Tap” moment and get stuck in the contraption. (They didn’t.) Rather than “Lemon” – the obvious choice – they played a slowed-down version of “Discotheque” that stripped the song of its oomph. Much better were the haunting ballads “With or Without You” and “One,” which closed the show.
No Bush leaguers: British band finds dreams in America despite critics’ objections
“I think that the whole Bush-copying-Nirvana (thing) is totally full of – – – -,” said Chicago-based producer Steve Albini, who recorded Bush’s latest double-platinum album, “Razorblade Suitcase.”
Blur
Blur has always been a band that mainstream America just didnt get. Maybe it was vocalist Damon Albarn’s exaggerated accent or the quintessential British characters he likes to write about, but it seemed that Blur’s fate was to play to a small group of Anglophiles who adored them. That should change with their self-titled record, which was released last week. At their sold-out show at the Riviera Theatre Saturday night, the four-man group (supplemented by a keyboardist and a two-man horn section) went top heavy on cuts from Blur, which is the most accessible of their five albums. They gave their fans a deliriously fun 1-hour 40-minute set that had music, style and showmanship.
No Doubt calls out the flock to pitch in with Toys for Tots
“I’m not a male,” Gwen Stefani said. You wouldn’t think that the willowy blonde would have to state the obvious. But as the frontwoman for No Doubt, which has the No. 1 album in America, she has grown used to speculation and innuendo. But even Stefani was surprised at the latest rumor being spread about her on the Internet: that she has too little body fat to be a woman and therefore must be a transsexual. “I have to work out all the time ’cause if I don’t I’d get really chubby,” said Stefani, 26. She tried to punctuate this point by scrunching up her black sweater – a present from Gavin Rossdale of Bush – and pinching her stomach “fat.” Her fingers had little to grasp.
Bush, “Razorblade Suitcase” (Trauma) review
Hating Bush has become such a cliche that it’s easy to overlook one thing: It’s a good band that writes solid music.
Smashing Pumpkins, “The Aeroplane Flies High” review
With so many cuts from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” being played on the radio, it’s easy to forget how many memorable songs the Smashing Pumpkins have that are almost never heard. The five-CD singles/rarities box set “The Aeroplane Flies High” helps give many unheard gems a chance to shine.